12:14
Gaelle So
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Summer rimes with apéro in France. There is not proper translation in english, because this custom just doesn't exist in english-speaking countries (at least none I've been living in so far).

A real institution, unknown to non french. Basically, grab a few drinks and nibbles, invite some friends, at home or somewhere else, and enjoy this pre-dinner drinks and food with your loved ones. Wether it's on the week-end, a weekday after work, or for a special occasion, this tradition is very important in France. Simplicity is the key. Chitchat, grab a few bits of cheese, olives, bread and paté, savoury pastries, savoury cakes, saucisson, and enjoy this great moment.

These little savoury biscuits are perfect for an apéro, but also for any snack any time of the day. The subtle flavour of the lemon thyme pairs really well with the parmesan and olive oil.

Feel free to use other herbs like normal thyme or rosemary for example.

Ingredients180g flour70 g butter, soft45g olive oil50g parmesan, freshly grated1 egg1/2 tsp lemon zest1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped1/2 tsp saltFreshly groumd pepperYou can use a food processor to make this recipe or just do it by hand.In a large bowl, mix 40g of parmesan, butter, oil, lemon thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper and egg. Add the flour and mix until getting a uniform ball dough. Divide the dough in 2. Roll into long logs (like a sausage), about 4 or 5 cm of diameter. Wrap into baking paper or cling film, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 180'C, and prepare a baking tray with baking paper or silicon mat.Take the dough logs out of the freezer, and with a sharp knife, gently slice 0.5cm thick slices to create your biscuits. Transfer to the baking tray. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The biscuits should be just golden.Let it cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

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17:48
Gaelle So
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Another amazing seasonal vegetable recipe today. The peas are out. Sorry, the Real peas are out. Not frozen, not canned, not coming from the other side of the world. Fresh local delicious. So good that you can eat them raw -what you never tried raw peas? Go for it, it's pure goodness!-.There's only one problem with peas though. They're tightly wrapped in those gorgeous green pods, and if you do want to eat them, you have to go through that "painful and long" podding step. It's not even rewarding, in a way, as you end up with a huge pile of pods, and only a couple handfuls of peas -if you don't eat the all as you go-.Enough complaining there, I actually quite enjoy podding peas, I find it quite relaxing, sitting in the garden with some music and get those bad boys out of their comfy sleeping bag, ready to get on my plate.

Problem number 2 : a lot of people just put those pods into the bin (or into the compost). This is not OK. Can't you hear the "waste" alarm ringing? Yup, please don't put those little pockets of green goodness in the trash, they're edible too! The best way to use them up, is a simple soup, that you can enjoy hot or cold. Perfect.

Ingredients1 shallot, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, mincedpods of 500g of peas1 tbsp olive oilsalt, pepperjuice of 1 lemon1 handful of fresh mint leaves600ml boiling water (or vegetable stock if you prefer)3 tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche1 spring onion, thinly slicedPod the peas, and keep the peas for use in another recipe. You will only need the pods in this soup.In a large pot, heat the olive oil, and cook the shallot and garlic on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the pea pods and cook for another 2 minutes on high heat, stirring often, then deglze with the lemon juice. Pour over the boiling water or stock, season with salt and pepper, and let it cook, on medium heat for 30 minutes, covered with a lid. At the end of the cooking time, add in the mint, and let it infuse for 5 minutes. Using a stick blender, blend the soup. It won't be smooth, so you'll have to strain it thrgouh a fine sieve. The soup can be served hot, once strained, or you can let it cool down and put it in the fridge for a few hours, and enjoy an iced refreshing soup.Mix the cream with the spring onion in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper.Serve the soup hot or cold, with a dollop of cream and onion in each bowl.

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17:08
Gaelle So
3 Comments

Despite that rainy-windy-grey weather out there most of the time (oh, no, wait, here's a little sunshine through the clouds!), I crave summer food.

Peaches, strawberries, apricots, watermelon, courgette/zucchini, eggplant/aubergine, capsicum/peppers, tomatoes,.. all those beautiful fruit and veg that put the smile on your face on a bright sunny summer day. Well, let's say that even if it's not sunny, having them in your plate will bring the sunshine into your house.

Here's a very summery quiche, full of delicious roasted veg', with that spicy kick from the harissa. You could also roast the veg with some pesto, or just a mix of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano would work wonders!).

I chose to add some creamy goats cheese, -yup, I need my daily cheese portion-, but feel free to go for some feta, buffalo mozzarella or any other cheese you like.

Now, that flaky pastry. This is not a proper puff pastry, but it's quicker, easier mate : rough puff. 10 minutes hands on, a multiple layers of flaky goodness. I've made this rough puff quite a few times now, following Clothilde's recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini, who's giving great step-by-step advice on how to make it. Please have a look at her great blog while you're there, it's full of fresh and creative recipes.

IngredientsFor the quick flaky pastry125 g plain flour140g butter, very cold1/4 tsp salt60 ml ice cold waterFor the roasted vegetables3 small zucchinis/courgettes1 small eggplant/aubergine1 red capsicum/pepper1 red onion1 tbsp harissa paste2 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp balsamic vinegar1 tbsp fresh thymesalt2 eggs100ml creamsalt, pepper5 cherry tomatoes, chopped50 g fresh goats cheese3 tbsp grated cheddar-If using a food processor : Mix the flour, salt and butter in the food processor. Pulse until it looks like big breadcrumbs (try not to over-mix it, it's good to keep a few bigger chunks of butter in the dough, as this will make it "flaky"). Slowly add the water until it forms a ball of dough.-If you're making the dough by hand : in a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the butter, either grated or cut into small cubes. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers, until it ressembles big breadcrumbs (try not to overmix it, it's good to keep a few bigger chunks of butter in the dough, as this will make it "flaky"). Make a well in the middle, pour in the ice cold water and mix together to form a bowl of dough.Lightly flour a work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 30 cm long rectangle. Fold it in 3 : take the bottom end and bring it a bit over the middle of the rectangle, Fold the remaining top part on top. Turn the dough by a quarter and repeat : roll into a rectangle, fold in 3. Repeat two more times. Cover the dough and put it to rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.Preheat the oven to 200'C.Roughly chop the zucchinis/courgettes, eggplants/aubergines, capsicums/peppers and red onions. Mix them all in a large bowl with olive oil, harissa, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread the vegetables on a baking tray, and roast for 30 minutes. Take the vegetables out of the oven, and put the temperature down to 180'C.Leave to cool while you prepare the rest of the quiche.In a bowl, beat 2 eggs and 100 ml of cream (you can also use milk, or a mix of both). Season with salt and pepper.Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it into a 30 cm circle. Transfer to a tart tin. Prick the pastry with a fork, then spread the roasted vegetables on top. Sprinkle a few chunks of goats cheese, some chopped cherry tomatoes, pour the egg+cream mix, and finally sprinkle some cheddar. Put in the hot oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top of the quiche is golden and the bottom fully cooked.Enjoy hot or cold with a seasonal salad.

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Honey roasted rhubarb "butter" // "Beurre" de rhubarbe rotie au miel

14:58
Gaelle So
0 Comments

Rhubarb is in season, and it's delicious!

A vegetable (yes, yes, rhubarb is actually a vegetable! A lot of fruits and vegetables are often mistaken for one another. Basically what grows from a flower is a fruit. Remember that, and you should understand a bit more about the botanic of our edible plants. As in our little minds, we simply think veg=savoury and fruit=salty. Nope.), easy to grow if you have a big garden, as once planted, it will produce beautiful pink sour stalks, without much care.

We like rhubarb in a traditional tart, topped with a beautiful meringue, or in jam, cordial, compote, poached... Recipes are endless..

Today, I'm sharing with you a very simple recipe : rhubarb butter. Alright, nothing to do with butter, but its smooth and creamy consistency is fabulous. Much less sweet than a traditional jam, you can spread this "butter" on your toast in the morning, mix it with some plain yogurt for a quick dessert, add some to your breakfast muesli, or even use it in the preparation of cakes (a garnish in a roll for example..).

I chose to roast the rhubarb rather than cooking it on the stovetop, as it intensifies the flavour of the rhubarb.

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11:45
Gaelle So
1 Comments

What's your favourite season? I guess mine would be Spring and summer.

Trees in flowers, different shades of green in parks and gardens make us all somehow happier.

Sun, sun, sun.

It's also time to get some great juicy, fresh fruit and veg. Spring and summer offer plentiful variety of seasonal produce, and my mind is boiling over with new ideas and recipes to try. Eating mainly with the seasons is really exciting, as you get to taste produce at their best for flavour, texture and nutrients, and you also learn that every good thing comes to an end. And then another great one starts.

A few weeks ago I went home to France, in Alsace, for a week, to visit family and friends. Lucky me, I was right on time for the white asparagus season. To whoever has never tried white asparagus, you have to! They are very appreciated in France and Germany but I've never seen any in England, Australia or New Zealand, only the green ones.

The white ones are bigger, and kind of "creamier" and very tender. They are actually grown underground, which is why they don't get green (as chlorophyll needs light to develop in a plant).

The season for white asparagus is very short, usually just a month, around April and May.

I was delighted to have some during my trip in France, and was amazed at the queue of people at the farm, all waiting to get that delicious vegetable while it's there.

Back to our recipe here. I started harvesting the first kale in our little english garden. Nothing compared to those dry ones you get at mainstream supermarkets. This kale is super tender and full of flavour.

I also found the first zucchinis/courgettes appearing on the market shelves, and that made me happy. Such a versatile "vegetable" (which is actually a fruit, as it's coming from a flower!), that can be used raw or cooked, baked, grilled, made into soup or even used in desserts.

Today I want to share with you a very basic and easy zucchini/courgette recipe. The fritter-batter can me made in roughly 10 minutes, and then the cooking time isn't too long either, if you get a few fritters cooking in the pan at the same time.

An easy healthy dinner on the table, in about 30 minutes. Feel free to adapt the recipe to your taste, adding in some other spices or herbs, other kind of cheese or none at all...

2 zucchini grated2 carrots grated2 spring onions, thinly sliced100g feta5 leaves of kale, thinly sliced4 tbsp chickpea flour2 eggssalt, pepperhot chili sauceOlive oil, for cookingTo serve1/2 cup Cottage cheese1 tsp chivessalt, pepperI used a food processor to make this recipe, but if you don't have one, you can still make it! Just grate your vegetables, before adding the other ingredients and mix.Mix the cottage cheese with the chives and season to taste. Set aside.Grate and slice the vegetables and put them in the food processor. Add the feta, chickpea flour, eggs, salt, pepper and hot chili sauce, and blend for a few seconds to combine.Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Drop 1 tablespoon of batter for each fritter in the pan, and cook on this side for 2 minutes, on medium heat, until golden. Then flip and cook the fritters on the other side for another minute. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. You can make 3 or 4 fritters at a time, depending on the size of your pan.Serve hot or warm with the cottage cheese.

1 comments:

11:11
Gaelle So
0 Comments

It's been about a year that I found this recipe that's making the whole food-blogging community go crazy.

Being a big fan of homemade bread, and practising the "art of kneading" at least once week ( I do make my own bread most of the time), I still couldn't believe it. Bread without kneading? Impossible! It took me years to "master" dough kneading techniques, punching that ball of bread dough with all my strength, rolling it, stretching here and there, working on becoming a "pro" of kneading, and know I'm told it's not worth kneading?

Curious little home cook. I couldn't resist to the challenge and I gave it a shot. Magic recipe they say. Tried, tasted, approved. The no-knead bread is not a joke.

So, if there's no need for knead', what's the heck is the secret?

The secret is actually not a real secret or revelation. It's also the master "key ingredient" in traditionnal baking (like we know it France in our Boulangeries), like for sourdough bread : TIME. Yep, it's time that gives that very particular flavour to sourdough bread, that crusty outer layer and some mind blowing air bubbles inside.

One of my housemates asked me once what was the secret to a good bread that doesn't look like a brick. My answer was clear and simple : the more you leave the dough to raise and rest, the better the bread.

So that no-knead bread doesn't need any effort at all, 5 minutes (even less!) to mix the whole thing roughly in a big bowl, and minimum 12 hours of rest (I've tried different timings and had great results from 8h, to 12h or even more, up to 24h! Some recipes out there push it even further and leave the dough for 30 hours or so). So in the end, while the dough has a rest, you can just take a nap too! As an example, you can prepare the dough in the evening, -pyj's an bed-, and bake the bread in the morning!

Second little secret for a good no-knead bread, with a crispy crust and fluffy inside : a mould. Don't worry, you don't have to run to the shop right now to buy a special mould or dish for this bread, you probably have everything you need already somewhere in your kitchen. Most of the recipes I read on no knead bread recommend using a Dutch Oven, made of a thick and heat resistant material like cast iron or ceramic. I do not own a dutch oven, but have found different alternatives that work really well too. A Cast Iron pan, or another ceramic pot have given me great results. Whatever you use, find something that resists high temperatures (so no plastic handles!), and transfers the heat well, as that's what will make a beautifully crispy loaf of bread. Have a look here for some alternatives to the Dutch oven to make your no knead bread.

I recommend starting with white bread flour for your first attempt, and then experiment with other types of flour like wholemeal, spelt or rye...

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt, then add the yeast and water. Mix roughly with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not over mix.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel, and leave to rest for about 12 hours, or more. The dough will slowly rise and bubble.

After this long resting time, flour a work surface and drop the dough on it. Being careful not to flatten the dough too much, to keep all those beautiful air bubbles, bring the corners of the dough to the centre, and form your loaf (round or oval shape, as you wish). Transfer the loaf on a sheet of baking paper. You can score a few lines on the top with a sharp knife (note that I haven't done it on the bread I took photos of, this step is not "essential" for the no-knead bread, but it will certainly help it raise more while cooking). Cover with a tea towel again, and let it raise more while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 220'C, as well as your "mould" in which you will bake the bread (cast iron pan, dutch oven...), for 15 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the dutch oven or pan, carefully sliding it in with the baking paper (mind your fingers, it's gonna be hot!).Bake, covered with a lid (if you have one, but not essential), for 20 mins.

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To get a nice crust on your bread, one element is essential : steam.

Here are 3 easy ways to get some steam happening in your oven while you bake bread :

- place a heatproof bowl of water at the bottom of the oven

- place a baking tray at the bottom of the oven, and pour some water in, which will create steam

- use a little spray bottle, and spray water on your bread a few times while baking.

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After 20 minutes of baking, put the temperature down to 200'C, take the lid off if using, and bake for another 20 minutes.

The bread will be fully cooked when nice and golden on top, and it should sound "hollow" when knocked on the bottom.